they do not care about women in the state of ohio. m going to tell you something, ed, we're not going to take it. the ohio democrats, we have lost a petition drive, and ed, i would love all of your viewers to go to the ohiodems.org/plannedparenthood, sign our petition and we are going to deliver those petitions to governor john kasich and tell him and the republicans in the ohio general assembly to keep their hands off of women's bodies and their access to health care. >> well, is the governor -- has he indicated whether he's going to sign this and support it? what's happening? >> well, ed, it's his mid-biennium budget. he has not said anything as far as i know, but these are his counterparts in the house that have put this provision in the mid-biennium budget. but hopefully our petition drive will send a strong message to the governor that we're not going to accept this in the state of ohio, and hopefully he will have the opportunity to line item veto that section of the mid-biennium budget. >> finally, senator, what do you make of th

they like the tweak this romney is a rich guy theme a lot. >> i think -- >> your state of ohio. >> thisnasty. both of them don't have a choice but go negative and nasty. you are see thag eaing that ear. obama is trying to speak to the working class voters. obama has difficulty wooing as well. they are trying to say, he can't connect with you and i can. or i can connect with you better than the rich guy can. >> let me ask you, jill, at what point does the obama campaign not have to be negative? >> they don't have to do that much when it comes to the class issue with romney. he does it himself. he's constantly dropping things about hanging out with the nascar owners and things like that rather than with the regular people. >> i think it's what we saw through that small group. they realize they have to do something. >> they have to work on that. obama can underscore it if he wants, but he doesn't have to. >> something else i noticed about romney, what he said about fox and true believers. for a guy in the second week of the general election, he's spending a lot of time talking to the gener

how did you get around that for the state of ohio? >> it is very protected by our, ohio state pharmacy board houses the program. they're protective over the information and who it goes to. and how it is distributed. and, and that's how they get around it. they make sure it is protected. but it is, a necessary tool. in this battle as we move forward. >> some states. three states. you all have that. you are doing something along the line. >> the information is protected. the doctor will see it. designate the case we can ask g for the data. we have that problem in kentucky. >> that is the same issue in ohio congressman. it is a great tool. underutilized by our physicians. house bill 93 required physicians treating pain management to utilize it. but as the, as the, exactly as you have alluded to as we have success in law enforcement. we are squeezing the balloon. people are moving to other states. and what's happened, the, the three states represented here today have all worked wonderfully together to tackle this issue. and to share that

i don't think he is well known throughout the state of ohio. he was known in the sensenatty area. ome help to mr. romney but i still believe barack obama will carry ohio in november regardless of who may be his running mate. >> that's what i was going to ask you about. governor kasich has been mentioned as somebody who might be a vice presidential contender although back now to energy he had been not someone who had admitted that climate change was real but in the past couple of days, he's actually come around and said that climate change is real. what does this pour at the end for hisrtend for his vice presidential cases. >> governor kaysick, i am glad you admit we have climate change issues. i think this could very well hurt him with certain tea party types. but the fact is that governor kasich's approval rate is not what would make him terribly attractive to governor romney. i think the latest polling has his approve about 40%. most of the time he's been in office it's been in the mid 30s. i am glad he has acknowledged publically that he does see climate change as an issue, and

together nevada, new mexico and colorado, that is as many electoral votes, just about, as the state of ohio chance for mitt romney who has strength in the southwest, partly because there's a large vote of mormons in these states and partly because i think his sort of profile appeals to these mountain west voters. so i think the southwest will be a major battleground as well. >> molly ball and mark murray, great chatting with you both, thank you. for more on the campaign trail, check out first read at msnbc.com, the first place for news and able sis from the political unit. >>> leon pa feet ta panetta is commenting on the death of osama bin ladin on the first anniversary of the raid on his compound. he was killed after his compound was stormed in pakistan. the defense secretary spoke to reporters on friday before heading back for a series of meetings in south america. >> i think the one thing that all of us feel pretty good about, that were involved in this operation, is that as a result of what we did america is safer. >> panetta said killing osama bin ladin has weakened the terrorist group

was attorney bob for traces of the columbus free press bought for trade as cliff are back became the legal team suing for a recount in ohio and taking on ohio's secretary of state jake and of blackwell who also happens to be co-chair for the bush cheney campaign in ohio a let me just remind you of a few of the facts. ken blackwell called it a model lection but we're trying to figure out what is was he talking it was a leave these first clue ghassan said it was not a single act of irregularity in his investigative reporter that's true there were tens of thousands oh that's the irregularity in a single precinct in ohio a total of six hundred thirty eight ballots were cast on election day bush received over four thousand of them. twenty four point nine three percent of all the voters in cleveland were purge a city that went eighty three percent for kerry. seven thousand voters lost their right to vote in the inner city of toledo. because the the vote optical scan machines froze up orange county is the last county in ohio to come in with their vote totals and they locked down the place where they're counting the votes and they want to allow any witnesses in allow a

state of florida, jack conway a. toern j -- attorney general state of kentucky, and senior assistant attorney general for state of ohio, and the deputy administrator for drug enforcement administration. thank you all for being with us this morning. to help you keep track of tomb. there is a timer light on your table. when it turns yellowou have 1:00 to wrap up. so again you don't have to come to a screeching halt when it turns red. if you can wrap up your comments. we would appreciate it it. with that we are happy to recognize attorney general bondee, for five minutes. remember to turn your microphones on. and you may begin. >> thank you, congresswoman. >> green. got it. thank you, congresswoman, and thank you for championing this cause. on behalf of our country. and, thank you as well, ranking member, butterfield for having us here today and also to congressman sterns from florida. and to all the committee members. we truly appreciate this. i'm here to tell you about what florida is doing to try to stop prescription drug abuse. as the congressman told you to put it in perspective. of the top 100, oxycontin dealers in

. >> toledo is in the key, election battleground state of ohio. the bailout of a nearby jeep plant has, they hope, marked a new beginning. "the toledo blade" knows the bailout is as much about politics as it is about economics. >> there are people who call this crony capitalism. some people think this industry ought not to exist anymore. another is an argument out there. -- >> there is an argument out here. when you come and talk to the guy who has a family of four to feed, which outbid union corp., without the bailout, to lead a would have -- without the bailout, toledo would have become a wasteland. >> america is recovering, but it trillion inbillio$1 bailouts. to make it happen, they had to do things that seemed alien -- subsidies, state ownership, and partnership with the unions. americans like to tell these things -- tell themselves that these things are temporary. but it is in moments of crisis that new models are born. across the water recovery, the u.s. economy has a long way to go -- the wider recovery, the u.s. economy has a long way to g

the strategies with democratic senator from illinois dick durbin and republican governor of battleground state ohiojohn kasich. and getting the balance right in this election year amidst controversy over religious liberty. with us, william lori, archbishop-designate. and naudaughter of the reverend billy graham, anne graham lotz and democratic congressman from missouri, emanuel cleaver, republican congressman from idaho, raul labrador, a member of the jesus christ of latter-day saints. and executive editor of random house, jon meacham. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> good morning. happyeaster and happy passover. a quiet holiday weekend on campaign trail as the republicans are ready for the next big showdown, the pennsylvania primary in two weeks. presidential candidate rick santorum has canceled campaign events tomorrow in order to spend time with his hospitalized 3-year-old daughter bella who suffers from a rare genetic disorder. this morning on the issues, a disappointing snapshot of the economy on friday, it showed employ employers adding 120,000 jobs in march, half the number

planning to officially launch his campaign against mitt romney this week with rallies in the key states of ohio and virginia. republicans are already accusing him of misusing taxpayer funds by campaigning on trips the administration has labeled official business. mitt romney is trying to convince a couple of his republican opponents to endorse him now that they're out of the race. ron brownstein joins me now from washington to talk about the latest twists and turns in the campaign. hi, ron. >> hey, alison. >> president obama has been doing lots of traveling in the united states. the gop chairman accused the president's administration for using taxpayer funds to campaign. is this kind of just that general sign that the general election fight is off and running to the races? >> you know, the fact is, the president did make a series of appearances here on college campuses that happened to be in swing states. in support of his view on holding down the interest rate on student loans. i think the republican complaint is something we often hear in a race with an incumbent president. i would say it see

. >> the city of toledo is in a key election battleground state of ohio. it has seen years of industrial decline. the bailout of a nearby plant marked a new beginning. at the toledo blade, one of those historic local newspapers that still matters in america, they know the bailout is about politics as much as economics. >> there are people who call this crony capitalism. it is industries that some people think should not exist anymore. >> that is true. there is an argument out there. when you come here and talk to the guy who has a family of four to feed and used to work on the assembly line, without the bailout, without union cooperation, to lead a would have quickly become a wasteland. >> -- toledo would have quickly become a wasteland. >> it has taken one trillion dollars -- $1 trillion of stimulus. most americans cannot get their head around this. the bailout has revived the car industry here spectacularly. to make it happen, they had to do things that seemed alien -- subsidies, state ownership, and partnership with the unions. americans like to tell the

where republicans have been in state of open warfare for months. the ohio party chairman noting he will have to rely on county organization to get out the vote as opposed to state organization. there's also more trouble brewing in nevada which saw its state chairman depart after a disasterous republican caucus in nevada. under repaired would be generous as a description of his state gop. quote, they just don't seem to be prepared at all. then there's the republican party up in new hampshire which saw its own state chairman up and quit amid serious fund raising problems in new hampshire. in iowa, you will recall the state chairman was forced to resign there after the party botched the iowa republican presidential caucus this year. under the state chairman's leadership, mitt romney won on election night. then it was a tie and it turned out rick santorum won. i'm sorry, i quit. the new iowa state chairman is known for being a supporter of ron paul. one telling politico, he's not a guy you have a lot of confidence in. we spoke to a veteran iowa observer who sai

. >> the city of toledo is in a key election battleground state of ohio.d has been years, but they hope a nearby jeep plant marked a new beginning. and at the historic local newspaper, they know it is as much about politics as economics. >> what do you think about the bailout? >> locally, i think the voters would say the bailout worked. there's a heck of a lot of jobs. and with a strong financial market. >> in the political battle over what the bailout means, toledo is over the decline. >> several times the vice president has been here and the president of u times. and biden is touring the midwest and pitching the bailout. >> but there are those who call this crony capitalism. these are industries that some people think ought not to exist anymore. >> yes, that is true. there is an argument out there. i say, you know what? you talk to the guy who was a family of four to feed you used to work on the cheap assembly line. -- on the jeep assembly line. toledo would become a wasteland. >> what the republicans have to do is persuade the american working class tha

. >> we're convened today in the matter of the state of ohio versus nancy smith. >> i really get confusedlegal lingo. >> i have absolutely no confidence these verdicts are correct, and, therefore -- >> i was kind of following it, but i was kind of confused a little bit. >> discharged. entering an acquittal on behalf of the defendants smith and the defendant allen, and this matter -- >> reporter: and just like that, nancy's nightmare seemed to be over. >> i was just stunned. that's all i can say. i -- we were just so excited. i just wanted to kiss that ground. i always had hope, but i never really knew if i would ever go home. >> reporter: after nearly 15 years in prison, nancy smith was free. free to be a grandmother. >> good girl. >> reporter: free to once again drive the streets of her hometown. >> that st. joe's was open when i went to prison, it's been -- shut down now. >> reporter: and life was as sweet as it had ever been. judge, some people will call you a hero. do you accept that label? >> no. >> reporter: why? >> it isn't a question of heroism. i took a set of facts, i applied re

>> one of the men who would fit that bill is senator rob portman from the bellwether state of ohio. they was director of the office of management and budget under george bush. another, virginia governor bob mcdonnel, he is a 21-year army veteran. virginia is one of the top four states romney folks point out is crucial to them. then finally we have governor jeb bush, former governor of florida. he was popular when he left office. he said he would consider running if he was asked then having opened the door a wee bit tried to slam it shut immediately saying the doubts that kept him running for the presidency would almost certainly keep him from accepting the number-two slot. >> pelley: florida, virginia, ohio. must-win states. john, thank you very much. president obama went to the u.s. holocaust memorial museum today for the first time since taking office. he used the visit to announce new sanctions against iran and syria. the sanctions are aimed at state police who use cell phones and the internet to track down dissidents in some countries. the president said "national sovereignty is

state of ohio said there will not be enough college graduates to fill the jobs they expect to have coming over the next six years. give the kids a chance to earn an education. you earn twice as much money coming out with a degree than if you only have a high school degree. steve it it is another bail out that and that is holding back economic growth. >> that's right. the college students should be booing. the tuition is rising and economy stinks. they will not get the lower interest rates. it only applies to new loans made after july 1st. this is bad magician stuff. you are not getting the cut rate. if the president was about jobs, he would reform the tax code and getting rid of obama care and other things. he hurts them and expects them to vote for him. whatever the government touches it screws up. >> honestly this makes me crazy. i think we need jobs and lower interest ratings. however, all we are talking about. is money growing on trees, too. but we can't have it >> the point is, interest rate situation. going to what steve was saying, it kicks in on new loans and doesn't tackle the la

. >> president obama has a 6-point lead in the state of ohio which a key battleground state. if you dig a little bit deeper, let's put this up on the screen. 71% of obama voters say they are voting for him. by contrast, 63% of romney voters they are voting against obama with just 29% saying they are voting for romney. what does that tell you shara? >> it tells me that romney has work to do in the state of ohio, introducing himself to voters. he obviously want flan a primary in early march. he had a needs to do a lot of work with independent voters. ohio is a really competitive state and sought after prize in the electoral college. there are 18 electoral votes up for grabs. 270 needed to win and it will be interesting to see how differently romney campaigns in the buckeye state this time around versus the primary. it will be going to different places than in march. >> gregg: here is what is curious about ohio. let's put this up on the screen. almost 70% of ohio voters are dissatisfied with how things are going in the country today. you know, quite often the president gets the b

i know the state of ohio has still been pushing to ensure that the public is safe in zainesville.the cages the animals were in, they must be repaired. the cages that i witnessed, the p primates were in bird cages. the brown bird was in a parrot cage. >> i don't understand how the state even if they haven't changed the law that that would be acceptable. i mean, if what you're describing is acceptable, that's just inhumane. they've got to be taken care of to a certain standard, don't they? >> absolutely. and as the columbus zoo at the beginning was a resource for mary ann thompson, a resource for the state of ohio to educate the folks that are moving forward to pass the bill. we still stand as a resource to make sure the public is safe and these animals are cared for. >> are you having direct conversations with mary ann? is there any chance this won't end the way it appears to be? or no? >> well, we've reached out to mary ann thompson. we continue to be a resource and to help educate not only her but anyone else that would have restricted species to make sure that they have the prop

as you move across the state of ohio it goes all through all the way from the middle class up to the upper class. whether it's a company that has to pay increased health care premiums that it's providing its employees because of the number of pills employees are receiving as part of a prescription or the insurance companies the cost to those folks, the insurance companies in ohio have reached out to the attorney general's office to talk with us and say what role do we play in this? this is a huge cost to our bottom line. it touches everybody. it's the taxpayer that's poot footing the bill. >> so we win the day with the argument of the human suffering of the budgetary tolls, there's no rhyme or reason why we wouldn't be tackling this head-on as a nation. and, again, mr. rannazzisi, one last question to you. this committee has been investigating technologies that come out. can you speak briefly about future technologies you may be exploring like this on tracking drugs? >> ma'am, i can't take that question for the record. i'm not an expert. >> we will be submitting questions to you for

and the majority leader and democrat of illinois, senator dick durbin and republican governor of swing state ohio john kasich. happy easter. welcome to both of you. >> happy easter. >> i want to start, senator durbin of talk of the economy. some of the press accounts i read over the weekend asked this question, whether this dip, slower hiring represented a momentary stumble or bad turn for the economy? what do you think it is? >> i think we're moving in the right direction. we've had seven straight months where the unemployment rate has gone down or not gone up. we've had 26 months of economic growth. we're on the right track. like the president, we want this to move more quickly and of course we want to see more jobs created. the good news for ohio and illinois is that more manufacturing jobs are coming online. as senator sherrod brown, my colleague from ohio has been one of the most outspoken champions for manufacturing jobs being created, particularly in the automobile industry and it really gets back to this presidential campaign, because president obama said we're going to stand by the autom